Behind-the-Scenes Look at Season Two of THE WALKING DEAD, Plus A Recap of What We Know So Far

The second season of AMC’s hit television series, The Walking Dead, started filming earlier this month and we have our first look at day one of shooting. Not much time has lapsed between the spectacular ending of season one and where season two picks up, but it’s a long time for fans to wait. As of now, the second season is slated to premiere in October alongside AMC’s annual Fearfest.

That’s the same time that the first season premiered, but this time around we will be treated to thirteen episodes instead of a meager six. While the show is picking up right where it left off, there have been some huge developments behind the scenes. For more on those developments, what to expect from season two, and your first glimpse at filming, hit the jump.

The first look at season two of The Walking Dead comes from AMC (via Vulture) and shows executive producer/writer/director Frank Darabont sporting an out-there wardrobe (typical for Darabont, it seems) and Steven Yeun’s (Glenn) humor.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, The Walking Dead has had a few major shakeups and developments. First on the list is that Darabont actually let go of the entire writing staff from the first season last November. While shaking up the writing staff isn’t unheard of in television, nixing an entire staff of writers raised more than a few eyebrows. Considering this is AMC’s ratings winner right now, messing with that seems odd. Yet, Darabont has been a major part of the writing process and has writing credits on four of the six episodes of the first season, so the main voice will stay in tact.

Although the axing of the staff writers from the first season led to speculation that Darabont might utilize free-lance writers to pen the second season’s episodes, it appears he might have moved away from that. When Matt and Adam interviewed Robert Kirkman, creator of the comic book series the show is based on and writer of one episode, in April, he seemed to imply that he, Darabont, and at least six others were hashing out details, layouts, and thickening the plots for individual episodes of season two.

That certainly doesn’t sound like a bunch of freelancers working on the show to me. Other exciting developments include Darabont’s frequent adaptation source, Stephen King, possibly writing an episode in season two along with his talented son Joe Hill. Also of interest is Edgar Wright possibly directing an episode of the show. While he doesn’t quite match with the way the show is being run, he would definitely bring a unique twist to an episode and he does have a knack for character.

Other revelations have come about as well, including some possible spoilers for those that haven’t watched the first season (shame on you), or those that want to know nothing of where the second season is headed. At PaleyFest 2011 in March, the cast and crew had a panel where they talked about the past and future of the series. Among the talking points (Thanks to E! Online) was the inclusion of the Hershel Farm arc in the show, where the band of survivors will end up at—you guessed it—Hershel’s Farm. The season will apparently get a lot more violent and a lot more sexy as well, with new couples forming, because as Laurie Holden (Andrea) said, “I mean come on, it’s the end of the world.”

Additionally, the content of Dr. Edwin Jenner’s message won’t remain a secret either. “What kind of horrible Communist turds do you think we are?” Darabont exclaimed at the suggestion that it would remain a mystery. There will even be new characters introduced, and Kirkman hinted that looking at the comics would give you big clues.

As always, stay tuned for more information as it comes along. For those that need their zombie fix in the mean time, you might want to satisfy your bloodlust with this oldie but goodie compilation of every zombie death in the series so far.

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